HOUSTON — Left tackle Duane Brown, the man who literally has Matt Schaub's back, returned bigger this summer and, if possible, even a little quicker. He's also a year wiser in the ways of the NFL and that much more in sync with how the guy next to him, guard Wade Smith, thinks.

Brown and Smith, the newest member of the offensive line but the closest thing it has to an "old" warhorse, are starting to finish each other's sentences on the field. On some plays, if you ask Matt Schaub or any of the running backs, they're practically reciting poetry together.

Did you notice that not a single Indianapolis Colt, Brown's "ultra nemeses" (his words), Dwight Freeney included, touched Schaub on Sunday until it was time to exchange handshakes after the Texans' 34-7 victory?

And of course you noticed that red-shirt rookie Ben Tate launched his NFL career with 116 yards pinch-hitting for league rushing champion Arian Foster, who had surpassed 100 yards in nine of the 17 previous games, gaining 333 himself in two starts against the Colts last season.

There's a pattern there, a significant one in terms of where the playoff-starved Texans appear to be headed. The offensive front — blessed with continuity, cohesion, a collective work ethic, plus line coach John Benton's clever mind — quietly has evolved into one of the NFL's most experienced and steadfast units.

Fully beholden to his five blocks of granite— Brown, Smith, center Chris Meyers, right guard Mike Brisiel and right tackle Eric Winston — Schaub insists the "quiet" part of that should go away right now.

"They don't get the credit they deserve," the quarterback said. "It's really hard to verbalize it enough."

As a former No. 1 draft pick (2008) filling the critically important left tackle spot, Brown has been Benton's most conspicuous project.

Brown's extra weight, gained during the lockout, might have been an ominous sign, but his dominating play against Freeney indicates he can carry 320 pounds, and carry it well.

Schaub contends: "I've never worried about Duane. He's a physical guy, and it's been fun to watch him grow (no pun intended) over the past few years. Now he's just got a 'cut it loose' type of mentality. He's a physical monster out there."